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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28555833">make-believe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aanathemaa/pseuds/aanathemaa'>aanathemaa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Drabble, Introspection, this takes place before michelle finds out that iris is dead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:35:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28555833</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aanathemaa/pseuds/aanathemaa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Michelle vaguely remembered the day she sat down on the family's old couch from the living room, making herself comfortable next to her sister. Tom was chasing Jerry on TV and her mother had warned them not to stain the couch with pumpkin pie, but they could pay her no mind, entirely enchanted by the cartoon.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michelle Blake &amp; Iris Blake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>make-believe</h2></a>
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    <p>Michelle vaguely remembered the day she sat down on the family's old couch from the living room, making herself comfortable next to her sister. Tom was chasing Jerry on TV and her mother had warned them not to stain the couch with pumpkin pie, but they could pay her no mind, entirely enchanted by the cartoon.</p><p>She couldn't recall much of the episode, but she knew it had been the one where Jerry found the invisible ink and proceeded to trick Tom a bunch of times, making Iris laugh loudly, the sound of it echoing against the walls of the large room like bubbles popping in the air. </p><p>As Michelle grew older, she slowly accepted that everything she had seen in all those cartoons was just... make-believe. Her mother had been very keen on telling both of them about it early on, afraid of the ideas they might get and the trouble they could find themselves in (which they always found themselves in), but letting go of fantasies was rather hard as a child.</p><p>Of course, years later, she had found out that invisibility was, in fact, a technical possibility. It was merely the act of turning yourself into a blank canvas and making friends with shadows, slipping into the cracks of your own life like you had never been in it to begin with.</p><p>But, as always, people leave ghosts behind. Pictures, a blue pick-up... little bits of life and self to drive those who love them crazy.</p><p>And, the irony of it all, was that it had happened under Michelle's nose. Under her mom's nose too.</p><p>There must have been reasons for it. Plenty of them, Michelle was sure. From fading smiles to tired eyes, and a husband with the common ability to belittle her, Iris had found herself a solution.</p><p>They had both stood in their family home and watched Jerry put on the ink and disappear from sight, but perhaps Iris had seen more... learned more. Perhaps she had... <em>made-believe</em>.  </p>
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